I do about 350 variations of sit-ups, crunches, and leg lifts at least every other day. I have been doing this for over a year.
Sometimes I use one of those exercise balls for the crunches, and sometimes I do them all on the floor. However, I have not seen my tummy do anything that resembles getting flatter (I’m a girl with one of those pouty abdomens - kinda look like I’m about 5 or 6 months pregnant, but I’m not overweight). I also don’t see any definition (6-pack) in my upper stomach.
And when I do these exercises I’m not feeling the “burn” that I hear so many people talk about. I feel it a bit, but I don’t feel the incapacitating burn where I couldn’t go on, I have to stop because I just get generally tired.
I’m afraid I’m using my neck when I do crunches and this is why I don’t feel the “burn”. I try really hard to relax my neck and to think of my tummy and make it do the work, but these are the results I get.
(Whew - long intro). Soooooo… can anyone give me some advice on how to do proper crunches? How can I get my tummy in shape and feel the “burn”?
You might want to check out the book The Core Program by Peggy W. Brill. She offers alternative exercises to crunches, and explains why crunches aren’t very effective.
First of all, you do use your neck a lot, as well as your leg and hip muscles when you do crunches. According to Peggy Brill, who is a physical therapist, crunches don’t do a very good job of isolating your abdominal muscles, and may also weaken your pelvic floor muscles.
Her alternative abdominal exercises are very pilates-like, so maybe you can also look into pilates classes, if you have the time and/or money.
You’re not going to get any definition until you get rid of that fat on your stomach, and you’re not going to get rid of that without a comprehensive diet/exercise regime (and even then, your body will burn fat from wherever it damn well pleases, no matter what you exercise).
If you insist on doing crunches, then don’t do more than 12 per set. The abdominals are just like any other muscle, and respond to weighted exercises better than crunches. If you can do more than 12 unweighted crunches, you should add weight.
Oh yeah, you’re not going to get a flat stomach by doing crunches because they work the wrong set of abdominal muscles. Try this: next time you’re dying from all the crunches you do, suck your stomach in. Notice how it doesn’t hurt? That’s cause it’s a different muscle. To work that, suck your stomach in and walk as far as you can.
If you must stick to crunches, remember that you’re trying to avoid using your hip flexors. Decline crunches are pretty much the best way to do that (and they’ll make you feel the burn).
But, if you’re just determined to get the best abdominal workout possible, I’d recommend the military press, which will also take care of the deep abdominal muscles that make your stomach flat.
I guess here’s as good a place as any to ask:
What about an isometric-type exercise? I will put my elbows and toes on the ground, in a sort of push-up position, and then I flex my abs and hold that for about a minute while breathing in and out. I do about three of those each day. Is this going to work? (I haven’t done it long enough to find out.)
AwSnappity: What does “work” mean here?
Define my abs, aid me in my quest for a flat stomach.
Stomach exercises won’t give you a flat stomach. Reducing your body fat through cardio will give you a flat stomach. Stomach exercises will build your abs, but unless your body fat is low enough, no one will ever know.
If it were true. As I said, I’m not overweight, really. I’m am on the heavier end of my “ideal” weight. However, I at one time weighed 95 pounds (I’m 5’6") -I know I had a problem - and even then I still had the same protruding abdomen. I agree that losing weight would make the tummy smaller, but I would like to just get it flatter. I don’t feel I need to be anorexic (sp?) again to have a flatter, or more defined tummy. I also do a good amount of cardio (and try holding in my tummy while running/eliptical/whatever). All my other muscules are defining quite nicely.
RindaRinda I have ordered the book you suggested. Thanks.
ultrafilter, I will look into the decline crunches and military press.
AwSnappity I will try those isometric exercises. I’ve seen people do them at the gym. I’ll try it.
Thank you to you all. Anymore suggestions are very much welcome.
See what Telemark said. It’s a good exercise for trunk stability, but no single exercise helps definition.
It’s not an issue of weight. It’s an issue of fat stored on your stomach. Just cause you can’t see your abs doesn’t mean you have much fat there–even 1/16th of an inch of fat will prevent definition. And that’s completely independent of what you weigh.
For flattening, it’s a matter of exercising your transverse abdominals. Those are the deep abdominal muscles I was referring to, and they don’t get hit by normal abdominal exercises.
It may just be the way you’re built. I have a friend who’s always had a protruding tummy, even when she had severe crohn’s disease and weighed hardly anything, and even after she had her ileostomy and had 8 pounds of small and large intestine removed. She still had a sticky-out tummy. Don’t starve yourself to try to attain an ideal that isn’t possible for your body, just exercise, eat right, and feel good about how strong and healthy your body is.
That is probably true. It is the main reason I posted this. I’m afraid there may be nothing I can do about my tummy save reonstructive surgery (don’t worry - I won’t do that). However, I wanted to get folks input and try everything before I give up and say I’m stuck with my pooch.
Don’t worry about me starving myself either. I’m just not capapble of it anymore. I don’t know how I used to do that - go 2 days without eating sometimes. Anorexia is very stressful. Maybe I had nothing better to do at the time.
PussyCow, are you sure you want to lose that tummy? Some men (and I am one of them) find tummies in women sexy 